Richelle Nessralla joined MIT as Associate Counsel in September 2004. She became Counsel in July 2010. As Counsel, Ms. Nessralla works primarily on matters related to MIT’s business affairs, Institute affairs and student life. With a background in corporate law applied to operations of the Institute, she can assist with the negotiating and drafting of contracts that departments, labs and centers seek to undertake, including those in the international arena, and with a variety of questions related to governance and legal compliance.

Prior to MIT, Ms. Nessralla was Director of Development at the Boston Foundation, a philanthropic foundation focused on providing grants to non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston area where she focused on complex asset transactions and tax issues. Ms. Nessralla previously practiced at the firm of Hill & Barlow in the firm’s corporate department. Ms. Nessralla focused on representation of private companies on all matters of their business from start-up through employment, licensing, financing, mergers and acquisitions, and reorganization.

Ms. Nessralla has been a volunteer at the Hale & Dorr Legal Services clinic in Jamaica Plain and a board member of the Excel Academy Charter School.

Ms. Nessralla graduated from Harvard College in 1994 and received her J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law in 1998.